HB0094

Transitions Wyoming elections to paper ballots that are manually counted in public view under uniform statewide standards, prohibits electronic voting equipment, and establishes comprehensive procedures for ballot security, counting, and auditing.

• Requires all votes to be cast on human-readable paper ballots designed for manual counting, following USCase.org 'Gold Standard Elections' guidelines adopted by the secretary of state as rules. (W.S. 22-6-201, Sec. 2)
• Establishes uniform statewide standards for secure production, transport, storage, and accounting of ballots, including documented chain of custody, sealed container storage for 24 months, and continuous video surveillance. (W.S. 22-6-202, Sec. 2)
• Requires manual counting of ballots to be conducted publicly with video and audio recording, permits observation by political parties and the public, verifies seal numbers before counting, and makes count totals public within one hour of completion. (W.S. 22-6-203, Sec. 2)
• Establishes minimum counting standards including four-member teams with balanced political representation, oaths of impartiality, standardized training, separate counting of absentee/early/in-person ballots, independent tallies reconciled by two recorders, batch processing, ballot reconciliation, and prohibits automatic tabulation devices. (W.S. 22-6-204, Sec. 2)
• Specifies procedures for counting absentee, early, and provisional ballots with signature verification, documentation, segregation of rejected ballots, and manual counting included in precinct-level results. (W.S. 22-6-205, Sec. 2)
• Requires manual counting to begin as soon as practicable after polls close and continue without undue delay, authorizes early counting of pre-election ballots by rule, and establishes county reporting timelines to the secretary of state. (W.S. 22-6-206, Sec. 2)
• Mandates the secretary of state adopt rules for ballot design, chain of custody, manual counting, reconciliation, training, and public observation using USCase.org guidelines, and establish standardized training curriculum for election officials and counting teams. (W.S. 22-6-207, Sec. 2)